Spring band construction



Jan. 22, 1952 Filed Nov. 25, 1949 A. W. MARTIN SPRING BAND CONSTRUCTION 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Inventor F7L/5 TEN LL/INFIELID 71 T/N 1952 A. w. MARTIN 2,583,222

SPRING BAND CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 25, 1949 2 SHEET'SSHEET 2 Inventor Hus TEN LL/INF'IELJD F7F1RT/N Attorney Patented Jan. 22, 1952 SPRING BAND CONSTRUCTION Austen Winfield Martin, Birmingham, England,

assignor to Martins-Birmingham Limited,

Birmingham, England, a British company Application November 25, 1949, Serial No. 129,227

In Great Britain October 10, 1949 2 Claims.

This invention relates to spring belts and other bands, such as garters, sock suspenders and the like, for personal wear, being of the kind comprising a spring band composed of one or more longitudinal flat springs each formed from wire which is bent from side to side in zig-zag fashion to produce transversely-connected loop coils at the bends of the wire; the ends of the band being provided with fastening devices.

The object of the present invention is to provide simple and easily operated means for adjusting the effective length of the band to suit the wearer.

According to the invention, a spring belt or other band for personal wear, of the kind referred to, has adjustably fitted upon an end portion thereof a fastening member comprising a plate lying across the band and provided at each of its top and bottom edges with two longitudinallyspaced hook members extending in directions transverse to the band and embracing an edge of said band with detachable engagement therewith, in combination with two transversely-extending upstanding lugs or projections on the plate near opposite sides thereof, each adapted to be sprung between a pair of adjacent loop coils at an edge of the band; I

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a front elevation showing the two separated ends of a spring belt having adjusting means in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of said belt ends.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the separated belt ends, on line III--III, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a similar horizontal section but showing the belt ends connected together.

Figure 5 represents a horizontal section on line V-V, Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a section on line VI--VI, Figure 1.

Figure 7 represents a horizontal section on line VII--VII, Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a horizontal section on line VIII-VIII, Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a vertical section on line IX-IX, Figure 1.

Figure 10 is a vertical section on line X--X, Figure 1.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the adjustable fastening member on the free end of the belt.

Figure 12 is a front elevation of said fastening member.

Figure 13 is an end view thereof, showing also, by dotted lines, how the belt may be transversely flexed for engagement with the fastening member.

Figure 14 is a rear elevation of the fastening member. I

Referring to the above drawings, which show a convenient embodiment of the invention in connection with a spring waist-belt,. the spring band forming the main part of the belt is composed of two separate fiat springs A, B, disposed longitudinally side-by-side. Each said spring is made from a single length of spring wire bent into zig-zag form with spring loop coils I at the bends of the wire, the two separate springs A, B, being secured or laced together longitudinally, edge to edge, by means of a cord 2 threaded or laced through the adjacent rows of coils I along the inner edges of the two springs. An additional cord 3 may also be arranged longitudinally along the middle of each spring, the same being laced or twisted around the transverse parts of the springs. In the completed band the inner row of coils of each spring lie in the hollows between adjacent coils of the contiguous inner row of coils of the other spring, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that the outer coils of the two springs are not directly opposite to one another, being relatively staggered.

Attached to one end of the spring band is a buckle or clasp of the box or plate type, comprising a longitudinally curved or convex plate 4 having rearwardly-directed flanges 5 at top and bottom edges. The said end of the band is permanently attached to the back of this buckle plate 4 in any convenient manner, but preferably, as shown, there is soldered, brazed or otherwise secured to the rear face of the plate a sheet-metal frame part 6 carrying, at one end, two hooks l, 8, one of which, 1, is engaged between two adjacent outer coils l at one edge of the band, whilst the other, 8, engages through a coil I at the other edge of the band, the hooks being closed down firmly after engagement. The said sheet-metal frame 6 is provided at the opposite end with a single integral pressed-up attachment hook 9 for detachable engagement with a fastening device which is adjustably attached to the opposite or free end of the band.

The said adjustable fastening device on the free end of the band consists of a flat sheet-metal plate l0 lying across the front face of the band and having, adjacent its outer vertical edge, an integral forwardly-pressed bar or bridge ll adapted to be detachably engaged with the attachment hook 9 on the buckle or clasp. At each of its top and bottom edges, the adjustable plate It) is provided with two longitudinally-spaced bent-back top hooks, I2, 1 2, and bottom hooks (3. I3, disposed adjacent to the vertical edges,

and intended for detachable engagement with the opposite edges of the band, the two top hooks I2 embracing the top edge and the two reverselybent bottom hooks l3 embracing the lower edge. To prevent longitudinal displacement and to take the pull on the belt, the adjustable plate has two integral and rearwardly-directed lugs or tongues l4, l5, struck out of apertures l6, IT, in the plate, one near the top edge and the other near the bottom edge. The lug I4 lies between the top hooks I2 and the lug l5 lies between the bottom hooks l3. Both lugs project from the rear face of the said plate. They are disposed out of vertical alignment, being in parallel planes relatively displaced or staggered laterally by a distance equal to half the diameter of a spring coil I, one lug I4 being engaged between two adjacent coils l, I, at the top edge of the band and the other lug being engaged between two adjacent coils I, at the lower edge; the coils at opposite edges being relatively staggered as hereinbefore mentioned.

The fastening device is applied to the band by transversely flexing or arching the latter by finger pressure applied to opposite edges, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 13, and then flattening the same so that the said edges pass under the pairs of hooks I2, I 3, at top and bottom of the plate It) and so that the transverse lugs I4, 15, are forced between adjacent coils. In use, there is no tendency for the band to become disengaged from the fastening device, and the length of the belt can be readily adjusted by detaching the fastener device (by transverse flexing of the band) and re-applying it at the desired point along the band to give the required effective length.

Iclaim: v

1. A spring band for personal use composed of at least one flat spring formed from wire bent from side to side in zig-zag fashion to produce transversely-connected loop coils at the bends of the wire, in combination with a clasp member fixed to one end of the band and an adjustable clasp member adjustably fitted to the other end of the band, said members having co-operating interengageable coupling portions and said adjustable clasp member comprising a plate lying across the band and provided at top and bottom edges with hook portions detachably engaging 5 with the edges of the band, said plate also having two rearwardly-extending lugs located respectively near the top and bottom edges of the plate and engaging with the loop coils at opposite edges of the band to hold the adjustable l0 clasp member in its adjusted position upon the band.

2. A spring band for personal use composed of at least one fiat spring formed from wire bent from side to side in zig-zag fashion to produce 15 transversely-connected loop coils at the bends of the wire, in combination with a clasp member fixed to one end of the band and an adjustable clasp member adjustably fitted to the other end of the band, said members having co-operating interengageable coupling portions and said adjustable clasp member comprising a plate lying across the band and provided at top and bottom edges with hook portions detachably engaging with the edges of the band, said plate also having two rearwardly-extending lugs located respectively near the top and bottom edges of the plate and engaging with the loop coils at opposite edges of the band to hold the adjustable clasp member in its adjusted position upon the band, the said coupling portion on one of said members being an integral forwardly-pressed bar formation and on the other of said members being of hook formation adapted to pass over and enter beneath the bar formation.

AUSTEN WINFIELD MARTIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 18,232 Fowler Oct. 20, 1931 906,557 Peterson Dec. 15, 1908 

